Explorer's Adventures in Tibet

Savage Landor Arnold Henry

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pubOne.info thank you for your continued support and wish to present you this new edition. This book deals chiefly with the author's adventures during a journey taken in Tibet in 1897, when that country, owing to religious fanaticism, was closed to strangers. For the scientific results of the expedition, for the detailed description of the customs, manners, etc., of the people, the larger work, entitled In the Forbidden Land (Harper& Brothers, publishers), by the same author, should be consulted.

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• China

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• Publié par: Pub One Info
• Date de parution: 23 octobre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9782819914846
• Langue: English

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PREFACE
This book deals chiefly with the author's adventuresduring a journey taken in Tibet in 1897, when that country, owingto religious fanaticism, was closed to strangers. For thescientific results of the expedition, for the detailed descriptionof the customs, manners, etc., of the people, the larger work,entitled In the Forbidden Land (Harper & Brothers,publishers), by the same author, should be consulted.
During that journey of exploration the author mademany important geographical discoveries, among which may bementioned: ( a ) The discovery of the two principal sources ofthe Great Brahmaputra River, one of the four largest rivers in theworld. ( b ) The ascertaining that a high range of mountainsexisted north of the Himahlyas, but with no such great elevationsas the highest of the Himahlyan range. ( c ) The settlement ofthe geographical controversy regarding the supposed connectionbetween the Sacred (Mansarowar) and the Devil's (Rakastal) lakes.( d ) The discovery of the real sources of the SutlejRiver.
In writing geographical names the author has giventhe names their true sounds as locally pronounced, and has made noexception even for the poetic word "Himahlya" (the abode of snow),which in English is usually misspelt and distorted into themeaningless Himalaya.
All bearings of the compass given in this book aremagnetic. Temperature observations were registered with Fahrenheitthermometers. A. H. S. L.
CHAPTER I
A FORBIDDEN COUNTRY
Tibet was a forbidden land. That is why I wentthere.
This strange country, cold and barren, lies on ahigh tableland in the heart of Asia. The average height of thisdesolate tableland – some 15,000 feet above sea-level – is higherthan the highest mountains of Europe. People are right when theycall it the "roof of the world." Nothing, or next to nothing, growson that high plateau, except poor shrubs and grass in the lowervalleys. The natives live on food imported from neighboringcountries. They obtain this by giving in exchange wool, borax,iron, and gold.
High mountain ranges bound the Tibetan plateau onall sides. The highest is the Himahlya range to the south, theloftiest mountain range on earth. From the south it is onlypossible to enter Tibet with an expedition in summer, when themountain passes are not entirely blocked by snow.
At the time of my visit the law of Tibet was that nostranger should be allowed to enter the country. The Tibetanfrontier was closely guarded by soldiers.
A few expeditions had travelled in the northern partof Tibet, as the country was there practically uninhabited. Theyhad met with no one to oppose their march save, perhaps, a fewmiserable nomads. No one, since Tibet became a forbidden country tostrangers, had been able to penetrate in the Province of Lhassa –the only province of Tibet with a comparatively thick population.It was this province, the most forbidden of all that forbiddenland, that I intended to explore and survey. I succeeded in myobject, although I came very near paying with my life for my wishto be of use to science and my fellow-creatures.
With the best equipment that money could buy forscientific work, I started for the Tibetan frontier in 1897. FromBombay, in India, I travelled north to the end of the railway, atKathgodam, and then by carts and horses to Naini Tal. At thislittle hill-station on the lower Himahlyas, in the north-westProvince of India, I prepared my expedition, resolved to force myway in the Unknown Land.
Naini Tal is 6407 feet above the level of the sea.From this point all my loads had to be carried on the backs ofcoolies or porters. Therefore, each load must not exceed fiftypounds in weight. I packed instruments, negatives, and articlesliable to get damaged in cases of my own manufacture, speciallydesigned for rough usage. A set of four such cases of well-seasoneddeal wood, carefully joined and fitted, zinc-lined and soaked in aspecial preparation by which they were rendered water and airtight, could be made useful in many ways. Taken separately, theycould be used as seats. Four placed in a row, answered the purposeof a bedstead. Three could be used as seat and table. Thecombination of four, used in a certain manner, made a punt, orboat, of quick, solid, and easy construction, with which anunfordable river could be crossed, or for taking soundings in thestill waters of unexplored lakes. The cases could be used as tanksfor photographic work. In case of emergency they might serve evenas water-casks for carrying water in regions where it was not to befound. Each of these boxes, packed, was exactly a coolie load, orelse in sets of two they could be slung over a pack-saddle by meansof straps with rings.
My provisions had been specially prepared for me,and were suited to the severe climate and the high elevations Ishould find myself in. The preserved meats contained a vast amountof fat and carbonaceous, or heat-making food, as well as elementseasily digestible and calculated to maintain one's strength inmoments of unusual stress. I carried a .256 Mannlicher rifle, aMartini-Henry, and 1000 cartridges duly packed in a water-tightcase. I also had a revolver with 500 cartridges, a number ofhunting-knives, skinning implements, wire traps of several sizesfor capturing small mammals, butterfly-nets, bottles for preservingreptiles in alcohol, insect-killing bottles (cyanide of potassium),a quantity of arsenical soap, bone nippers, scalpels, and all otheraccessories necessary for the collection of natural-historyspecimens. There were in my outfit three sets of photographiccameras, and a dozen dry plates, as well as all adjuncts for thedeveloping, fixing, printing, etc., of the negatives. I had twocomplete sets of instruments for astronomical observations and foruse in surveying. One set had been given to me by the RoyalGeographical Society of London. The other was my own. Each setconsisted of the following instruments. A six-inch sextant. Thehypsometrical apparatus, a device used for measuring heights bymeans of boiling-point thermometers, which had been speciallyconstructed for work at great elevations. It is well known that thehigher one goes, the lower is the temperature at which water boils.By measuring the temperature of boiling water and at the same timethe temperature of the atmosphere at any high point on a mountain,and working out a computation in relation to the boiling-pointtemperature of a given place on the sea-level, one can obtain withaccuracy the difference in height between the two points.
Two aneroid barometers were also carried, which werespecially made for me – one registering heights to 20,000 feet, theother to 25,000 feet. Although I used these aneroids principallyfor differential heights along my route, as aneroids cannot alwaysbe relied upon for great accuracy, I found on checking theseparticular instruments with the boiling-point thermometers thatthey were always extremely accurate. This was, however,exceptional, and it would not do for any one to rely on aneroidsalone for the exact measurement of mountain heights. There were inmy outfit three artificial horizons – one with mercury, the othersconstructed with a plate glass. The latter had a specialarrangement by which they could be levelled to a nicety. I foundthat for taking observations for latitude and longitude by the sunthe mercury horizon was satisfactory, but when occultations had tobe taken at night the plate-glass horizons were easier to work, andgave a more clearly defined reflection of stars and planets in sucha bitterly cold climate as Tibet, where astronomical observationswere always taken under great difficulty. The most usefulinstrument I carried on that expedition was a powerful telescopewith astronomical eyepiece. Necessarily, I carried a great manycompasses, which included prismatic, luminous, floating, and pocketcompasses. Maximum and minimum thermometers were taken along tokeep a record of the daily temperature, and I also took with me abox of drawing and painting materials, as well as all kinds ofinstruments for map-making, such as protractors, parallel rules,tape rules, section paper, note-books, etc. I had water-tighthalf-chronometer watches keeping Greenwich mean time, and threeother watches. In order to work out on the spot my observations forlatitude and longitude, I had with me such books as Raper'sNavigation and the Nautical Almanac for the years 1897and 1898, in which all the necessary tables for the computationswere to be found.
I was provided with a light mountain tent, usuallycalled a tente d'abri ; it was seven feet long, four feetwide, and three feet high; it weighed four pounds. All I needed inthe way of bedding was one camel's-hair blanket. My clothing wasreduced to a minimum. My head-gear was a mere straw hat, which wasunfortunately destroyed at the beginning of my journey, so that Iwent most of the time with my head uncovered or else wore a smallcap. I wore medium thick shoes without nails, and never carried astick. It was largely due to the simplicity of my personalequipment that I was able to travel with great speed often undertrying circumstances. Although the preparations for my expeditioncost me several thousand dollars, I spent little money on medicinesfor myself and my men; in fact, all they cost me was sixty-twocents (two shillings and sixpence). I am firm in the belief thatany healthy man living naturally under natural conditions, andgiving himself plenty of exercise, can be helped very little bydrugs.
I started from Naini Tal and rode to Almora (5510feet above sea-level), the last hill-station toward the Tibetanfrontier where I expected to find European residents. At this placeI endeavored to obtain plucky, honest, wiry, healthy servants whowould be ready, for the sake of a good salary and a handsomereward, to brave the many discomforts, hardships, and perils myexpedition into Tibet was likely to involve. Scores of servantspresented themselves. Each one produced a certificate wi